ABU DHADI — United States Special Envoy Steve Witkoff announced Monday that working-level negotiations between Ukraine and Russia will take place in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11, marking the latest diplomatic effort by the Trump administration to secure an end to the nearly three-year conflict.
The trilateral talks will address post-war security arrangements, de-escalation measures, humanitarian concerns and pathways toward a peace agreement, Witkoff said in a statement. The envoy confirmed the format follows his recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg two weeks ago.
Witkoff also said American negotiators would meet with representatives from France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the European Union and NATO in Brussels later this week to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine and Europe's post-war security architecture. The dual-track diplomatic approach underscores the breadth of the US effort to coordinate a comprehensive response to the war.
The announcement coincides with heightened humanitarian concerns on the ground. Russian forces bombed a school being used as an aid distribution point in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region on Monday, killing 26 people, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the country's emergency services. The strike was described as having occurred as people were arriving for aid distribution, followed by a second attack on the shelter.
“The Russians struck first just as people were arriving – a few aerial bombs,” Zelenskyy said. “Then there was a second strike – more air bombs, this time on the shelter. A vile terrorist strike.”
In a separate development, cyberattacks targeted emergency alert systems in both Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine's nationwide emergency alert mobile app was compromised, sending residents in Kyiv false warnings of an imminent nuclear strike and chemical threats. Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations separately reported a cyberattack on its mobile application that allowed distribution of false public safety information.
The diplomatic push comes as Ukrainian officials warn of potential renewed Russian attacks. Zelenskyy said Monday that Kyiv has intelligence indicating Russia is preparing a fresh massive assault primarily targeting energy and logistics facilities. He warned that Russia could take advantage of international attention being focused on US elections to intensify strikes.
“We have intel that Russia is preparing a new massive attack on our country – primarily targeting energy and logistics,” Zelenskyy said. “We must not play games with Russia’s oil or gas revenues. We must put pressure on Russia in such a way that it has no alternative but to end this war.”
Meanwhile, about 2,800 troops from 10 European countries are scheduled to stage a multinational exercise in Poland from November 9-22. Led by France and the UK, the Multinational Force-Ukraine exercise has no offensive mission and will only be deployed once a ceasefire is agreed. The exercise aims to test the speed and efficiency at which nations can deploy forces on land, sea and air to support Ukraine once hostilities end.
The Abu Dhabi talks represent the latest in a series of diplomatic engagements, following previous negotiations in Kyiv, Oslo and St. Petersburg. While significant gaps remain between Ukraine and Russia on the terms of any possible peace agreement, the US continues to mediate efforts toward a comprehensive and durable resolution to the conflict that began with Russia's 2022 invasion.
